House Resolution 108 - Introduced HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 108 BY KAUFMANN , BAUDLER , PETTENGILL , ALONS , HAGENOW , BYRNES , HEIN , SWEENEY , JORGENSEN , WORTHAN , ROGERS , HAGER , LOFGREN , UPMEYER , J. TAYLOR , HANUSA , KEARNS , COHOON , RUNNING-MARQUARDT , WILLEMS , MUHLBAUER , BERRY , HEDDENS , THOMAS , WITTNEBEN , T. TAYLOR , ISENHART , LYKAM , MURPHY , LENSING , WESSEL-KROESCHELL , ABDUL-SAMAD , GAINES , HALL , JACOBY , STECKMAN , HUNTER , WINCKLER , M. SMITH , MASCHER , GASKILL , KRESSIG , KAJTAZOVIC , HANSON , H. MILLER , OLDSON , PETERSEN , WOLFE , R. OLSON , KELLEY , THEDE , T. OLSON , McCARTHY , VANDER LINDEN , SCHULTZ , J. SMITH , SHAW , PEARSON , FRY , PAULSEN , DEYOE , ANDERSON , DE BOEF , HUSEMAN , CHAMBERS , DRAKE , WATTS , RAYHONS , L. MILLER , FORRISTALL , GARRETT , BRANDENBURG , HEATON , HELLAND , WAGNER , SANDS , SODERBERG , GRASSLEY , COWNIE , MOORE , KLEIN , S. OLSON , PAUSTIAN , and MASSIE A Resolution honoring the Iowans who were killed in or 1 survived the attack on the USS Indianapolis on July 2 30, 1945. 3 WHEREAS, on November 15, 1932, the USS Indianapolis 4 was accepted and commissioned in the United States 5 Navy; and 6 WHEREAS, the USS Indianapolis served as the flagship 7 of the Fifth Fleet through much of World War II, under 8 the command of Admiral Raymond A. Spruance; and 9 WHEREAS, all who served aboard the USS Indianapolis 10 distinguished themselves and their ship in the Pacific 11 during World War II, with the ship earning a total 12 -1- LSB 5490YH (6) 84 aw/nh 1/ 3

H.R. 108 of 10 battle stars in the Pacific between 1942 and 1 1945; and 2 WHEREAS, the USS Indianapolis was struck by a 3 kamikaze plane in March 1945 at Okinawa, during 4 the Okinawa Gunto Operation, resulting in 38 5 casualties; and 6 WHEREAS, on July 26, 1945, the USS Indianapolis 7 delivered the first operational atomic bomb to the 8 island of Tinian, which less than two weeks later was 9 flown by a B-29 bomber, the Enola Gay, and dropped 10 on Hiroshima to bring an early end to the war with 11 Imperial Japan; and 12 WHEREAS, on July 30, 1945, the USS Indianapolis, 13 while transiting unescorted from Guam to the Leyte 14 Gulf, was struck by two torpedoes fired by a Japanese 15 submarine, the first torpedo striking the bow and the 16 second striking near midship on the starboard side; and 17 WHEREAS, the resulting explosion split the ship to 18 the keel and knocked out electrical power, causing the 19 USS Indianapolis to sink rapidly; and 20 WHEREAS, of the 1,196 aboard, some 900 made it to 21 the water in the 12 minutes before the ship sank; and 22 WHEREAS, few life rafts were released and most 23 survivors wore standard life jackets as shark attacks 24 began at sunrise that day and continued until nearly 25 five days later when 317 survivors were removed from 26 the water, after their accidental discovery during a 27 routine antisubmarine patrol; and 28 WHEREAS, there were 30 Iowans on board the USS 29 Indianapolis in the early morning of July 30, 1945; and 30 -2- LSB 5490YH (6) 84 aw/nh 2/ 3

H.R. 108 WHEREAS, only three of the Iowans on board that 1 morning, Seaman First Class Charles O. Wells of 2 Camanche, Seaman Second Class Glen Laverne Milbrodt 3 of Akron, and Electrician’s Mate Second Class Edward 4 Chris Koche of Denison, survived the attack on the USS 5 Indianapolis; NOW THEREFORE, 6 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, 7 That the House of Representatives honors the lives and 8 service of each of the Iowans who were killed in or 9 survived the attack on the USS Indianapolis on July 30, 10 1945. 11 -3- LSB 5490YH (6) 84 aw/nh 3/ 3